Boccanera Gallery, Trento is pleased to present the solo exhibition of Nebojša Despotović (Belgrade, SRB in 1982) Between the devil and the deep blue sea ovvero freie Kartoffeln.

There is a time when the work of art takes shape that, as users, we will never see it.
It is a moment reserved only for the author who, in the intimacy of his studio, over time builds his piece.
In the third solo exhibition of Nebojša Despotović at Boccanera Gallery in Trento, the 200 square meters of space will host the artist's late production of paintings in connection with the elements that accompanied him in the creative process, in an environmental installation curated by the artist.
With the exhibition, we will travel through the physical and mental imagery of Nebojša through a combination of elements and materials accumulated over time in his studio, reproducing the inter-space in which their natural interaction can continue to exist.
Nebojša exposes the creative process of his work happening in the studio by installing in the gallery, the objects that surrounded him, the residues left behind, revealing the vital correspondence that binds them to mutual existence, breaking the unnatural balance of the canonical exhibition space. Together with the paintings, objects will be included in an installation composed of murals and a theatrical backdrop, with the aim to give a more comprehensible representation of the world that exhist only in the act of creation.
The key to Nebojša's work is not just the object but has an additional indispensable dimension: the labor. In the works of Despotovic, the physicality of the action applied to the object is fundamental, as is the choice of materials.
The ability to produce combinations of materials that often incorporate residues of the process itself is essential to Despotović. The technical and physical relationship with the piece is fundamental in the place where the brawn and the mind merge into pure intellectual speculation, in a constant exercise, a mode, a discipline that comes together in the practice of the artist.
The exhibition wants to restore the humanity of the work which by its nature offers the viewer a complete experience of the evolution of the artwork in the artist's space and mind.

On the occasion of the contemporary art fair MiArt, Milan, on April 11th 2018, at 6.00 pm, Boccanera Gallery will open the Boccanera Box in Via Ventura 6.
In the Milanese space Boccanera box will presented the catalog of the exhibition Between the devil and deep blue sea or freie Kartoffeln and an installation of the works of Nebojša Despotović.

Statement by the artist

In a typical situation, a potato does not represent anything other than itself, but its nature can be completely reversed when the creative force applies to it.
Often what could be seen as a simple potato is the basis on which an artist contemplates life in manifesting itself.
What does an artist do in his solitude?
He outlines a creative path outside the role of the artist, through delusional logic similar to those of a game.
Foolishness is the driving force of creativity but must be balanced with discipline and with the stregth to embark on a journey made by exercise and constant practice.
Someone calls this fusion of elements Art.
The perception exists in thoughts, which are transformed into actions and finally into experiences. Everything fluctuates in a situation of pure uncertainty, and we will be able to see it leaving any state outside of reality.
The recipe to go beyond the limits of the perception's barrier is written on the back of a drawing by my colleague and friend Goran: "You have to live everything behind and be ready to lose everything, if you are not able to do it, don't even start it".